Ball-and-socket type trailer hitch



Dec. 7, 1954 R. N. CASE BALL AND SOCKET TYPE TRAILER HITCH Filed Sept. 18, 1952 IN VEN TOR. AAM PH /v. 0455 Fig. 6 is the same view as Fig. 5 but showing'the use of six ball bearings instead of three;

In Figure 1, reference numeral indicates the rear 2,696,392 5 lgumper tofdan Aautomclalbiledtofi which my invention to e attac e n- L-s ape ange 12, and a somewhat BALL-AND-SOCK T TY -TR HITCH S-shaged fllange 14, secured together by a'fastener '16,

- area apte to grippingly overlie and'be supported upon Ralph Case Datum Mlch the rear bumper. Flanges 12 and 14, and the fastener Application September 18, 1952,'Serial No'.1310,200 compnse a standard y of m i a a trader 10 hitches and are in no way intended as a limitation upon 6 Claims. (Cl. 280-613) my invention but serve only asameans for supporting a ball member over which my improved-hitch is seated. Remote from the bumper and upstanding from the flange 12 is a standard type ballmember 18- found in common This invention relates to trailer hitches and particu- 15 use by makers Of trailer hitches. The ball member 3.5

n-ly to aball-and-socket type hitch. generally found. today comprises a. spherical head pm- An object of this invention is to provide an improved tlon 20 and a .supporting'neck portion 22. The neck 22,. :ailer hitch'which is of simple and sturdy construction Ser es to raise the head 20 above'the flange 12 so that a l hi h meets a high ta d d f fety, socket seated upon-the head is. allowed limited-vertical Another object is to provide a trailer hitch which com- 20 rotation Without striking the hanger trises a socket member mounted on the trailer and My invention, generally indieatedas 24 in is tdapted to seat over the conventional ball member mountadapted to he mounted p the tongue 26 0f the trailer -,d on the automobile, and provide a coupling whigh'is and seat upon the head 20 0f the ball 18. In the alteri t as th t il i being t d native the above relationship may be reversed 'with'the Another object is the provision in a ball-and-socket 25 hall 13 mounted upon the tongue 26 and y invention ,ype trailer hitch of a number of ball bearing surfaces mounted p the flange against which the lower half of the ball member rides Y improved trailer hiteh' comprises a Y" Y- when the ball and socket are coupled together, thereby hndfieal y p surmounted y an upstanding idi a more hl operating hi h stud 30 threaded as at 32 and provided with anut 34 Another object is the provision of a trailer hitch hav- 30 in threaded engagement thefeWithin g 2, and 3 ing a socket member substantially hemispherically rethe stud is sheWn as Passing through the tongue 25 :essed and adapted to receive the conventional ball mem- Q the ti'aliei' i the pp face 36 0f the y abutber mounted upon the automobile and swingably retain g t lower side the tongue and the nut 34 in P- the ball member therein by means of one or more co- POsltlOn thereto serving to pp y retain the hitch operating ball bearings urged against the lower hemipo the tongue While a stud and n arrangement i sphere of h ban b depicted other means such as welding may be employed A further object of my invention, having one or more to faster! the hitch t0 the tongueball bearings mounted as hereinabove described, is the Three spaced apart cileilmferential grooves 40 provision of a sleeve adapted to slide upon the periphery and 42 are Provided in the Outer Wall of the y of the socket member and engage said ball bearings to 40 T enfiiiess helical coil springs 44 and 46 are adapted position the bearings for contact with the lower hemito seat In these gl'eovesa reason h r inaf r eX- sphere of a ball member seated in the recess. Plalned, grooves 33 and 42 are of substantially equal A meritorious feature of my invention is the provision depth While the intermediate groove 40 is cut somewhat of a trailer hitch having a cylindrical socket member subp? as shown in stantially semi-spherically recessed to receive a ball memi y mounted P the y 25 is the sleeve ber therein and provided with one or more ball bearings pr about Its lower p p y with a flange P mounted within the wall surrounding the recess and limtlen 50, ehamfeled as at 52 as shown in g 3 and itedly movable therethrough, and a sleeve slidably mount- The PP face 54 of the sleeve is adapted to abut the ed on the periphery of the socket member and adapted springs 44 and 4 to slidably determine the position of the ball or balls A concave recess 56, somewhat in the shape of the ithi th ll f th recess, her face of a hemisphere is provided within the body 28. A further meritorious feature of my invention is the This 1'eeess Pefmlts the y to seat p the head 20 provision in a trailer hitch of the character described of Ofthe hall member Uniiei'mly spaced around the a pair of springs peripherially wrapped about the socket y 28 and Passing thl'onghthe Walls f the recess 56 member and seated within circumferential seats formed 5- are annular passages 58 having Converging side l in the outer surface of the socket member and adapted Ball hearings 6 re adapted to seat within these pasto determine the amount of linear slidable movement sages with ffi i n tolerance we h iz f h f the le v along th ket b passages and the balls to permita portion of the lat- A still further meritorious feature of my invention is e to extend into the reeess 56 as shown Particularly in the provision of three linearly spaced apart circumferen 60 Flgs- 3, 4, 5 and As shOWIl, in gthe hearings are tial grooves formed in the outer surface of the socket adapted t0 nd i t th r ss 56 a dist n snfii i t member, with the intermediate groove being deeper than ng g he h ad 20 of the ball 18 and swingably re the adjacent grooves, and two helical coil springs grip- 1 in h r ss. ping seated within two of'these grooves, with one of the e 2 shows the ball hearings in the retracted P springs seated in the intermediate groove, and theother t10h W the sleeve 43 raised so that edge 54 0f the spring disnlaceable from one of the other grooves to be sleeve bears against p g With the ball bearings seated in the third groove, 1n this position the hitch may be seated upon the head of Other bieot and advanta e ill o e fully appear the ball 18. The sleeve is then lowered, and with such from the following claims, specification and drawings movement the chamfer 52 of the flange 50 rides over wherein: the ball bearings forcing them farther into the passages Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of my trailer hitch 5 d th n a p rtion of them into the recess 56. The fastened to an automobile; bearings are held in this position by the sleeve 48 and Fig. 2 is a partially broken away front elevation of by the beveled walls of the passages as is shown in Fig. 3. the socket member; The spring 46, heretofore seated in groove 38 is man- Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 2 but with the ball retaining allv u seated and drawn down over spring 44 and resleeve in a different position; seated in groove 42. With the spring in this groove, Fig. 4 is a broken sectional viewthrough a wall of the the sleeve cannot be raised by any jarring or jolting 0 socket member showing the sleeve retaining springs; the hitch. If it is desired to uncouple the hitch the sleeve Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line -5 of is forcibly raised against the resistance of the spring Fig. 3 showing the relative position of three ball bearings 46 which when enough lifting force is applied jumps within the walls of the socket member; and up the body 28, over the spring 44 and into the groove 38: The sleeve'may then be raised until it abuts the spring 44. Upon raising the sleeve the ball bearings will be permitted to retract by.virtue of the spacing of flange 50 from the body 28.

The sleeve cannot be raisedagainst :the resistance :of spring 44 because, as beforestated, the. groovew40 in which the spring is seated is deeper-,than ,grooves38 or 42.. Grooves38 and 42-are shallow so that spring,44 can be unseated without substantial effort.

ijFig. 6 depicts a form of myhitch wherein-tsix ball bearings areused instead ofthree. This is desirable where the trailer to be drawn is quiteheavyr However, any number of ball bearingscouldbeusedthat-would' produce a satisfactory result under given conditions, without departing from thespiritroftmy inventions While endlesshelical coil springszare showmseated within the grooves 38, 40 and 42, it-should be.-,understood that in the alternative--spring ;rings or splitringsw might beemployed.

What :I claim is;-

1, Ina ball-and-socket type trailer hitch having theball member mounted-on one :vehicle and the hitch. mounted on the other vehicle, a cylindrical body member exhibiting a downwardly opening ballreceiving -recess adapted to seatover thfe ball aplurality of.rball bearings slidably disposed within said'bodyspaced aroundthe peripheryofthe recess and-adjacentthe opening thereof and shiftable to project interiorly of the body, a. sleeve slidably mounted. on said body and movable linearly thereof to one position to abut and .urge, the bearings inwardly toward a ball member seated in the recess and to anotherposition to permit the bearings to retract away fromsaid ball member, said bodyvprovided. with a plurality of encircling grooves formed inits outer surface, a spring ring tensioned toseat in'one of these grooves to abut and limitthe slidable movement of. said sleeve-and yieldable to permit displacement-to. an other groove to permit slidable movement of the sleeve.

2. ln aball-arid-socket type trailer hitchhavingthe. ball member mounted on one vehicle and the hitch mounted on the other vehicle,,a cylindrical body member exhibiting a downwardly opening. ballreceiving recess adapted-to seat over said ball member, a plurality of ball bearings rotatably and slidablymounted; within the Wall of said recess adjacent the opening. thereof and shiftable inwardly and outwardly with respect to therecess, a locking sleeve mountedon the periphery ofv the body and slidable linearly thereover and. operable. in one position to abut said bearings and-urge them into the recess and in another position to permit-the balls to move outwardlyof the recess, said body having at least two encircling peripheral grooves spaced apart lengthwise of the body superjacent the sleeve;.two helical spring rings tensionally' seated in the grooves, oneof said rings tensioned to cooperatively react to lineal move-- ment and abutment by the sleeve-to advance to another ofsaid grooves to be seatedtherein.

3. In a ball hitch coupling. having a part provided. with-a ball, abody having a ball-receiving recess and provided withanopening through the wall surrounding the recess, a ball bearing mounted within-the .opening and movable into. and out of the recess,, a sleeve en.- circling that portion ofthe body. provided ,with, the. opening and shiftable to two positions overthe: opening, saidvsleeve so shaped interiorlythat in one position it, holds the ball bearing inwardly of the openingand within the recess and in the other position it, holds; the ballbearing within the opening but permits it to move outwardly outof the recess, a .spring ring grippingly.en.-. circling the-body above the sleevev and adapted .to' abut the sleeve to determine .oneposition thereof, said. ringv shiftable over the body to; permit movement of the sleeve. to its second position,

0 Number,

4. A ball hitch coupling as defined in claim numbered 3characterized -in-that-the bodytis-provided with two spring rings tensioned thereabout and two spring rings seats one foreach ring, each ring adapted when disposed upon its seat to project outwardly of the body and abut the sleeve when the sleeve is moved thereagainst to determine one position of the sleeve upon'the body one of said spring rings being resistingly' expansible under pressure of the sleeve and operable to be displaced from its seatto permit movement of the sleeve over the seat to its second position 5. In a ball hitch coupling having a part provided with atball,-.a.cylindricalbody having a ball receiving recess and'provided with an opening through the wall surrounding the recess a ballbearingmounted within the opening and movable into and out .of. the recess, a cylindrical sleeve encircling that portion of the body provided with the opening and shiftable to two positions over. the opening, said sleeve so. shaped interiorly that in one position it the-opening and within the recess andinthe other position it holds the ball bearing within-the opening but permits it to move outwardly of thewrecess, said body shaped .to provide .an upper and a lowerencircling ring seat, two helical spring rings tensioned thereabout with oneoftherings adapted to be seated in either the upper or the lower ring seats, said body provided with a third ring seat disposed between the othertwo.-and adapted to receive. thesother of the said .two rings, the. spring rings adaptedjto project outwardly beyondthe body when disposed on their seats, the first mentioned spring ring when seated on thelower ring seat adapted to abut the sleeve to determine one positionvthereof-but yieldingly expansible under pressure of the. sleeve to be displaced out of thelowerseat and over the second mentioned ring into the upper seat, said secondmentioned ring adapted when seated in the. intermediate seat .to. abut the sleeve when thesleeve is moved upwardly thereagainst to determine the second position of the sleeve.

6. A ball'and'socket couplinghaving a cooperating ball membercomprising, in combination, a cylindrical body member recessedv to receive theball member, ball retaining means adjacent-the. recess opening operable to engage the ball memberscated in said recess, actuating means slidably mounted on said body andadapted when slidably movedftoone position to cooperate with the ball retaining means to hold the latter in engagement with the ball and adapted when slidably moved to another. position to release the ball, said body member peripherally-recessed to provide a plurality of spring ring seatinggrooves, a pair of spring rings seated in two of thesegrooves with-one of the rings displaceable to anothertof the grooves to abutandv yieldingly hold the actuating means in'its firstmentioned position, said one spring being displaceable to ,another groove when the actuating means is urged towardits second mentioned position, and into engagement with the other ofthe spring rings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name: Date Knott July 19, Jacob, Sept. 19, .Apr. 23, Sawatzki- Jan. 4,

FOREIGN PATENTS.

Country Date Great Britain Oct. 4, 1950 Number holds :the balljbearing inwardly of. 

